| March 2004
“The best part of Christmas is the part that lasts all year.”
That phrase was written on a note received this past Christmas
and has stayed with me ever since. Now Easter is looming large
on the horizon. Here between the two most significant Christian
holy days it seems that the hope, joy, peace, love and, yes, the
awe that we take from Christmas will be celebrated again, although
in different ways and different contexts this Easter. There is
also the waiting, the sense of horror—Must this young woman
deliver her first-born child in a stable, away from family and
friends? Must this young man who speaks out on what he sees as
truth, who we now know as the Son of God, really get crucified?—but
all ends well in a celebration of new life.
It has been quite a while since I wrote to you, and for this
I apologize. I find that I am often writing letters in my mind
but it seems that I must do a bit more to get them down on paper.
I have thought of you as I sat in worship services in languages
I don’t understand, where one can’t help but feel
the joy of the members as they sang and danced their praises.
I have thought of you while slogging down a muddy road to a very
interesting feeding program, started by women in the villages
who said “These orphans are our children and we need to
care for them.” On the return trip I slipped and ended up
lying full length in the mud. It must have been amusing to watch
from the outside and even I could see the humor in it all. Those
wonderful women who took it on themselves to get me a walking
stick and to hold me upright for the remaining mile or so we had
to walk will have something to talk about for years to come. But
reflecting on it later, those women really embodied the African
hospitality that I have been privileged to experience wherever
I go. So how did I think of you? First that this program could
easily become a wonderful model program and secondly, I was glad
you could not see me in all my muddy glory!
As I write, I am in California with my parents for a couple weeks,
having returned to the United States for meetings at the national
offices of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in Louisville, Kentucky,
in early March. As I had plenty of deskwork to do, I decided to
just stay on in the United States after the meetings for a couple
weeks and will return to South Africa the beginning of April,
just in time for Easter.
Overall, the process of getting to know people throughout southern
and east Africa—learning what their churches are doing
with regards to AIDS, learning of their cultures and traditions,
making new friends—has truly been a joy. When last I wrote,
I was focusing on two countries, Malawi and Ethiopia. Of late,
I have added South Africa, Zambia, and possibly one or two other
countries while at the same time anticipating that someone else
will come and take on East Africa, which means primarily Ethiopia.
Although I will miss my friends and colleagues in Ethiopia, it
is really for the best as the need is so great and I just cannot
do it all.
You may have heard about the home-based care kit project in which
the PC(USA) and the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP)
in Malawi work together. The churches in the United States put
together home-based care kits to be used by volunteers in churches
in Malawi. To date, about 300 volunteers have been trained and
are caring for between 4 and 10 people each. Last month, I was
in Malawi to spend some time with these volunteers and was pleased
to see them in action. Some of the comments of the volunteers
include:
- They [people with AIDS whom the volunteers are visiting] have
become my friends.
- When I went to visit, the community, I saw that it was OK
to visit, so I started visiting him (the person with AIDS) as
well.
- I am happy to help them find peace.
- We do what we can but often it is not enough.
The last statement echoed my sentiments as well. There is so
much that needs to be done when working against such huge odds.
What I try to remember and try to help the volunteers see is that
we each need to do the bit that we are called to, to care for
this person in front of us, and to take our pride from the work
that we can do. This does not diminish the fact that there is
still so much that we would like to do, nor does it keep us from
looking at the broader picture, but hopefully it will keep us
all energized and moving forward.
As for other activities, last October the PC(USA) AIDS Task Team
in Louisville, my colleague in Central and West Africa, and I
organized what came to be known as “The Malawi Workshop.”
This was a two-week workshop for over 30 participants from 10
different countries in sub-Saharan Africa. We all, participants
and organizers, came away exhausted. It was well worth it, however,
as the participants learned a great deal, and we all developed
new and closer relationships. The first week focused on the area
of theoretical information regarding running projects and programs.
The second week guest speakers came to present on how they were
addressing different facets of the epidemic. Much was also learned
from visiting many programs of the CCAP as well as getting to
know the other workshop participants—AIDS coordinators,
representatives of women’s departments who are interested
in AIDS, medical folk with a public health commitment, counterparts
from other parts of Africa. As it came time to say goodbye, there
were tears shed by many as we went back to our respective homes.
This year, 2004, we are looking forward to a gathering of church
leaders from our partner churches in Africa. They will be given
the opportunity to talk together about the unique opportunities
that they have to help their churches respond to the AIDS crisis
in their countries and to share the challenges they have faced,
learning from each other and brainstorming together about how
these challenges can be met.
Speaking of challenges, one of my big challenges last year was
also an opportunity. The Church and Society magazine
of the PC(USA) invited me to be content editor for the November/December
issue entitled “Africa: Hope in a time of AIDS.” It
was a totally new experience for me. The editor, Bobbie Hargleroad,
did a good job not only in making it as stress-free and enjoyable
an experience as possible but also in creating a magazine that
came out looking good. If you are interested in getting a copy,
they can be ordered by calling the Presbyterian Distribution Services
at (800) 524-2612 in the United States. If you are outside the
United States please contact me and I can help with the process.
Looking ahead, my work seems like it will be broadening, as I
become more involved with the HIV/AIDS work taking place in the
many countries. For example, I am looking forward to doing more
in home-based care with the three partner churches in Zambia.
We will look at what they are doing, where they want to go, and
how they see themselves getting there. The curriculum on prevention
of mother-to-child transmission needs to be moved forward. That
should be an interesting process. Also, the Uniting Presbyterian
Church in Southern Africa (UPCSA) is in the process of looking
for an AIDS coordinator. That will mean my looking at new ways
to get involved with the UPCSA.
In July I will be returning to Thailand for the first time since
leaving in 2002. The International AIDS Conference will be held
in Bangkok this year and I have volunteered to serve as a chaplain
there as well as registering as a participant. After the workshop,
I will go back up to Chiang Mai to visit friends and colleagues
for a few days before returning to Africa. Actually, I am very
curious to see how that will be, as I have been feeling so much
at home in Africa.
Also, looking ahead it will soon be time for my home assignment
again. I am planning to come back to the United States to speak
in churches, to share what I have learned about the HIV/AIDS situation
in Africa as well as the life and work of the churches as they
respond to the AIDS crisis in their areas. At this point, I believe
that I will be in the United States from October until sometime
in January or February. If you are interested in having me come
to your area, please let me know. You can do this either through
my email address or my physical address in South Africa.
As Lent comes to an end and churches throughout the world get
together to celebrate Easter, I trust that it will be a time when
you will see that “the best part of Christmas is the part
that lasts all year” and in this season experience hope,
joy, peace, love, life in a new way.
Blessings,
Janet Guyer
The 2004 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
61
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